Today I have for you another overdue process post, this time around it is for my DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle card from the Imperial Assault Core Set. I first shared this with you back in
August of 2014 when it was spoiled at Gen Con last year. This card has had an interesting life and gotten around a bit. Here is how the final DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle turned out...
DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle
Imperial Assault Core Set
10.127 x 9 - Digital
© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games
A Trandoshan with a gun. I wonder who should get this assignment... that is a tough one... Turns out I got that assignment because of my mad obsession with Transoshans. Granted I am not sure why everyone just doesn't love space lizards. Anyway...
The Assignment called for, "A Trandoshan mercenary holds a DXR-6 Disrupter rifle; put this image in a battle context, but focus on the rifle itself." Pretty straightforward really. Space lizard with a fancy laser gun. I got to work on some thumbnails and turned them in...
DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle - Thumbnails
© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games
Not sure at the time if I had a personal favorite among these thumbnails. I think I was get getting more and more extreme with the thumbnails as I went. How far can I push and pull the Trandoshan's features as it disintegrates some hapless target. There is something about the extreme exaggeration of option "C", but there was no way it was going to happen. You never know though, and that is why you take a chance. As with all my work I started with some reference photos to get my head, and body, around this piece. As an added treat this here are the reference images I used for this piece...
DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle - Reference
Photos by Achsa Nute
If you are wondering, that IS Darth Vader's lightsaber taped to a Nerf gun for lighting and special effects reference. With a little additional effort and some thoughtful actions you can make your reference be a lot more useful. In the end, thumbnail "A" was the winner and it was time to move onto the final drawing. Here is how that drawing turned out...
DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle
12 x 9 - Pencil on paper
Original - SOLD
© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games
The drawing was approved without issue and it was time to start painting. In just 16 easy steps you can get a finished Trandoshan painting... or not. This should have been a rather straight forward painting of a space lizard with a gun, but there were some issues along the way. Here is the piece coming together...
DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle - Progression progression
© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games
About half way through this piece I determined that the head on this Trandoshan was a little too big. If I was painting this piece traditionally this would have been a bit of an issue but since this piece was digital it was more or less a straight forward edit. I wonder now if I had been painting this traditionally if I would have made the change, or attempted to change, of shrinking the head. At the point I made this change it would have involved some serious reworking. Not that I am adverse to making this level of change in paint (okay maybe a little) but it would have been rough. You might also notice that I removed the knife hilt as the painting went along. I am on a crusade to put a knife into the hands of a Trandoshan in one of my paintings this was not going to be that piece. It was a little awkward down there and was unneeded visual clutter that was not adding anything to the piece. Lastly, and this was feedback from FFG after I turned the piece in, I addressed the beam of energy leaving the gun. Production felt it was a little too white. As you can see from the reference, I was basing the look on something in the real world and there are plenty of other similar depictions out there. Production wanted me to address it, so I addressed it. After my first edit on the new toned down blast the piece was approved. Here is an animated progression of the piece so that you can better see the edits as the piece came together...
DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle - Animated progression thingy
© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games
Once again here is the final piece as well as how it appeared in Imperial Assault after being heavily cropped. I am also including the Adepticon Trandoshan Hunter variant card where this art was better used a second time around. As mentioned elsewhere, this marks the third time my art has appeared on the Trandoshan Hunter card for Imperial Assault.
DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle
10.127 x 9 - Digital
© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games
The handy dandy DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle card... with CROPPING action!
Trandoshan Hunter - Adepticon exclusive giveaway
That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, see you back here on Friday! Until then...
